Optimism takes centre stage in Ranchi for World Rabies Day

Post by

emily king

on

September 26th 2017

Mission Rabies celebrated the milestone of Ranchi’s first year free from rabies deaths with a day of talks and presentations.

The Radission Blu was the setting of the Roadmap to rabies-free Jharkhandworkshop – a day of talks and presentations from some of the world most renowned experts on rabies, which was organised by our team.

After the success of Mission Rabies in the Ranchi area, there is hope that Jharkhand State will consider expanding the vaccination efforts. The charity has been working with the Government of Jharkhand and Ranchi Municipal Corporation since 2014 to eliminate the disease which overwhelmingly affects the poorest communities, and is spread, 99% of the time by dog bites.

The focus of the day was to start a dialogue and to integrate a One Health approach to rabies elimination.

Professor Charles Rupprecht (Lyssa LLC), one of the foremost experts of rabies, gave an impassioned presentation (Global Progress Towards the Goal Of Elimination Of Dog Bite Mediated Rabies) on the outcome of similar successful programs around the world.

‘’In Ranchi, you are showing the rest of the state how to do it. We leave it up to you, in the celebration of World Rabies Day, to make that a fact.’’

Dr Gyanendra Gongal, WHO South East Asia Regional Office said: ‘’India has everything to eliminate rabies, but it needs the political will to do so.’’

“The Ranchi project is utterly inspiring. Thanks to the leadership of the Government of Jharkhand and Ranchi Municipal Corporation, together with the support of Mission Rabies, Hope Animal Trust, Dogs Trust, MSD Animal Health and WVS, we have achieved what everyone said was impossible – a rabies free Ranchi”, said Dr Luke Gamble, founder of Mission Rabies.